Utility receptacle



y 7, 1940- J. v|ss|-:R 2,199,898

UTILITY RECEPTACLE Filed June 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (/OHN l/lssse y 7, 1940- J. VISSER 2,199,898

UTILITY RECEPTACLE Filed June 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 QJL Patented May 7, 1940 I PATENT OFFICE UTILITY RECEPTACLE John Visser, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of the United States Application June 7, 1937, Serial No. 146,773

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in utility receptacles, and more particularly to a novel panel receptacle assembly wherein a utility receptacle in the nature of a slidable drawer is 5 mounted in a panel arrangement, and operable through an aperture in the main panel, such as a panel arrangement in a vehicle, which arrangement may be the instrument board, the back of the front seat, a door, a wall, etc.

In the design of utility receptacles, especially for installation in the panel arrangement of vehicles, it is desirable to have the receptacle be exceedingly pleasing in appearance and in harmony with the panel arrangement, as well as being readily accessible to the user. It has been found that a drawer type receptacle, such as an ash receptacle, is desirable in many instances, since it is easy to pull out for use and may be just as easily closed with its contents concealed from the eye when not in use. Of course, with an ash receptacle it is essential that the contents be entirely closed in so that they will not be blown about the interior of the vehicle, so that cleanliness may be maintained, and the danger of escaping sparks eliminated. In addition to appearance, convenience and safety, it is desirable to have the receptacle assembly such that it may be manufactured and installed as economically as possible.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a utility receptacle assembly in combination with a panel arrangement, which furnishes the beneficial advantages mentioned above.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a utility receptacle assembly, with the receptacle in the form of a slidable drawer, the construction being such as to eliminate various parts heretofore found necessary without the sacrifice,

of desirable advantages in operation and use.

Still another object of the invention is the vision of a drawer type utility receptacle having a novel mounting arrangement.

A still further feature of the invention is the 65 provision of a drawer type utility receptacle assembly having a novel suspension arrangement for supporting the drawer in position in a panel arrangement.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with par- 6 ticularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, both as to its organization and manner of construction, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following descrip- 10 tion, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating two embodiments of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a novel drawer type utility receptacle, in 15 the form of an ash receiver, showing the same embodied in a panel arrangement;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line II--II of Figure 1, looking in the direction 20 of the arrows, and indicating in dotted lines the actuation of the ash receiver;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line III-III of Figure 2; 25

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line IVIV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an isometric view of a portion of the structure seen in Figures 2 and 3, namely, the 30 support for the drawer;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a modified form of utility receptacle installation, in the form of an ash receiver, showing the same' incorporated in a panel arrange- 35 ment;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line VII-VII of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional 40 view taken substantially as indicated by the line VIII-VIII of Figure '7; and

Figure '9 is an isometric view of the drawer supporting member itself, seen in Figures '7 and 8.

For the purpose of clarity, the invention is illustrated and described herein in connection with a receptacle in the nature of an ash receiver, although it will be distinctly understood that the utility receptacle may, with an obvious variation in sire and the elimination of the parts to be later described, be used for another form of utility compartment for containing gloves, emergency accessories, cosmetic paraphernalia, or 55 other utilities commonly found necessary during travel in a vehicle.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention seen in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, there is shown a panel arrangement I0, preferably a vehicle panel arrangement. The panel It! may be any suitable form of panel arrangement, such as an instrument panel, a seat back, the wall adjacent a seat, a door, etc. The panel I is provided with an aperture (Figures 2 and 3) of suitable size to accommodate the ash receiver assembly. A portion of the panel is turned inwardly adjacent the upper side of the aperture II to provide a supporting flange l2 which will function substantially as the sole support for the ash receiver assembly.

In this instance, the ash receptacle proper includes a drawer embodying a body part l3 which is substantially U-shaped, as seen best in Figures 2 and 4. A back member |4 closes the rear end of the body l3, and is provided with a flange l5 telescopically receiving the body and spot welded or equivalently secured to the body. Integral with the back member I4 is a forwardly extending part l6 which functions as a cover for the rear part of the drawer as well as a support for the combined snuffer and stop elements to be later described.

With reference to Figure 4, it will be seen that the upper side margins of the drawer body l3 are outwardly flared, as indicated at H, above which on each side is a short vertical flange l8. The forwardly extending portion I6 of the back member rests between the two vertical flanges |B|8. The forward end of the drawer is closed by a front member l9 provided with a flange circumscribing the three sides of the drawer,

and which is spot welded or equivalently secured to the drawer body l3. This front member I9 is recessed or formed inwardly, as indicated at 2|.

A finishing front member 22 is provided over the member 9, the member 22 having an inwardly turned flange 23 therearound and being of such a size as to extend beyond the aperture II in all directions and abut the panel arrangement l0, when the ash receiver is in closed position. The finishing member 22 is also formed inwardly, as indicated at 24, so as to nest in the aforesaid formation 2|, and thus provide a suitable recess into which a user may insert his fingers and grasp a vertically extending knob 25. This knob 25 is provided with a flanged rim formation 26 to afford purchase for the fingers, so that the drawer may be pulled outwardly into open position, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. The entire finishing panel 22 and the knob 25 are both held in position over the front member l9 preferably only by a single stud bolt 21.

The finishing member 22 may be formed with a plurality of outwardly extending ribs 28 which may be given a high finish, such as chromium, while the spaces between the ribs may be finished in a different color or a dull finish, to give a very pleasing appearance to the ash receptacle assembly.

The entire ash receiver drawer is carried suspended from a supporting member 29 which is spot welded or equivalently secured at the region 30 (Figure 2) to the aforesaid supporting flange l2 on the panel arrangement Hi. This supporting element 29 is provided with a detent 3| at the forward end thereof to act as a stop member to limit the outward movement of the drawer. A pair of grooves 32 are also provided to form ribs portion I6 by means of a suitable rivet 35 or in an equivalent manner. This element H4 is provided in the forward portion with a suitable snuffer 38 against which a lighted cigarette may be pressed in order to douse the cigarette, all sparks and ashes of course falling within the ash receiver. Immediately to the rear of the snuifer 36, the element I34 is bent upwardly as indicated at 3'! to resiliently contactthe aforesaid grooves or' ribs 32, and the rear end of the member behind the rivet 35 is also extended upwardly as indicated at 38 to frictionally engage the ribs 32. By this means, the drawer may be frictionally retained in a desired position of adjustment, although the frictional engagement is not sufficient to prevent easy and ready operation of the drawer. Immediately in front of the hump 31, the element 34 is provided with an aperture 39, into which the aforesaid detent 3| extends when the drawer is moved to fully open position, thereby preventing further outward movement of the drawer until the snufler element 36 is depressed by the thumb sufficiently to permit the hump 31 to over-ride the detent. In order to replace the drawer after removal, it is simply necessary to force it into the suspension member 29 until the hump 3| clicks behind the detent 3|.

In Figures 6 to 9, inclusive, I have shown a modified form of construction carrying out the principles of the suspended drawer hereinabove described. In this instance, a panel arrangement la is provided, which may be any form of vehicle panel as above explained, and which is provided with a suitable aperture Ila through which the ash receiver drawer is slidable.

In this instance, an angle member 40 is spot welded or equivalently secured to the back of the panel arrangement Illa, and to the flange of this angle member, a drawer support 4| is spot welded or equivalently secured, as indicated at 42. The drawer support 4| is similar in character and function to the drawer support 29 hereinabove described. The supporting member 4| is provided with a pair of depending side flanges 4343, each of which has an inwardly turned horizontal flange 44 to provide a drawer run or track. This member is also provided with a pair of longitudinally extending beads 45, against which the resilient snuffer element presses, as above described. Downwardly turned from the forward edge of the member 4| is a depending detent 46 to limit the outward movement of the drawer.

In this instance, the drawer proper comprises a body portion 46 substantially of the shape of a half cylinder. To this body part, a back member 41 is attached by means of a circumscribing flange 48 spot welded or equivalently secured to the body member. The back member has a forwardly extending top portion 49 which functions as a cover for the rear part of the drawer, and this top member extends between a pair of vertical side flanges 50-50 on the drawer body, each of which side flanges is in turn connected to the front-portion of the drawer body by a horizontal flange portion 5|. The flange portions 50 and 5! are, of course, complemental to the flanges" and 44 on the supporting member so that the drawer will hang suspended from the supporting member and slide backwardly and forwardly in the drawer track. A drawer front 52 is attached to the forward end of the body 46 by a circumscribing flange 53 which is spot welded or equivalently secured to the body. To provide a decorative front arrangement for the drawer, an ornamental front member 54 is provided of sumcient size to abut the panel member Ina outside the aperture I la. This ornamental member may be outwardly beaded, as indicated at 55 in Figure 7, to provide further decoration and also to provide a recess for the reception of an additional front member 56 which may be provided with a different finish from the member 54. Both members 54 and 56 are preferably held on the drawer front 52 by means of a single bolt 51 which also holds an operating handle 58 in position.

This drawer is also provided with a combined snufier and stop element 59 of the same construction as the element 54 previously described herein. The element 59 is attached to the cover portion 49 of the back member by any suitable means, such as a rivet 50. The drawer shown in Figures 6 to 9, inclusive, operates in the same manner as the drawer previously described, and may be removed by depressing the element 59 sufliciently for the forward hump therein to clear the detent 46.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a handy utility receptacle assembly, installed in a novel manner in a panel arrangement, and provided with a novel suspension support. The panel arrangement lends itself to various forms and types of decorative finish so that it may readily harmonize with the panel arrangement with which it is associated, and it is equally apparent that my novel construction is durable, rugged and economical .to manufacture and install.

While I have shown two particular embodiments of my invention, it will, of course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an ash container assembly, a drawer member and a supporting member from which said drawer member is suspended, said supporting member embracing opposite spaced upper side portions of said drawer member and defining slide channels in which said spaced portions are disposed to slidingly support said drawer member, and resilient means interposed between said members and carried by one of said members and engaging the other member for exerting a pressure tending to spread said members apart but which is applied to maintain said spaced portions in tight frictional engagement with said slide channels.

2. In an ash container assembly, a drawer member and a supporting member of an inverted U-shaped cross section from which said drawer member is suspended, said supporting member embracing opposite spaced upper side portions of said drawer member and defining slide channels in which said spaced portions are disposed to slidingly support said drawer member, and resilient means interposed between said members and carried by one of said members and engaging the other member for exerting a pressure tending to spread said members apart but which is applied to maintain said spaced portions in tight frictional engagement with said slide channels, said slide channels being formed in the spaced legs of said supporting member.

3. In an ash container assembly, a drawer member and a supporting member from which said drawer member is suspended, said supporting member embracing opposite spaced upper side portions of said drawer member and defining slide channels in which said spaced portions are disposed to slidingly support said drawer member, resilient means interposed between said members and carried by one of said members and engaging the other member for exerting a pressure tending to spread said members apart but which is applied to maintain said spaced portions in tight frictional engagement with said slide channels, and manually operable latch means at the top of said drawer member and accessible upon movement of said drawer member to an open position to disengage said drawer member from and for removal from said supporting member.

- JOHN VISSER. 

